A slimy alien symbiote and a pop star on the rise are heating up the box office this weekend.
The previous high-water mark of $151.5 million was set in 2015, led byThe Martian.
Heading into the weekend,Venomwas expected to earn about $55 million to $70 million.
Clay Enos/Warner Bros.
Criticspanned the movie, but audiences gave it a B-plus CinemaScore.
Overseas, the film will take in about $14 million this weekend.
George Tillman Jr. directed the film, which stars Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, and Russell Hornsby.
The script was written by Audrey Wells, whodied Thursday at 58, after a long battle with cancer.
Overall box office is up 9.2 percent year-to-date.
See the Oct. 5-7 figures below.
